Description
Consider what had to happen for this specimen to exist. Alpine clinozoisite from classic Austrian localities shows olive-green to yellowish-green crystals of exceptional transparency and form. The mineral is an epidote-group aluminum calcium silicate that forms in metamorphic terrains. Austrian specimens are among the reference standards in any mineral collection.
This specimen originates from Knappenwand, Untersulzbachtal, Austria, one of the world’s most significant localities for this type of material. Collectors and scientists have drawn from this region for generations, and for good reason: the combination of geological conditions here produces specimens of exceptional quality and clarity.
Every specimen is unique. Photographs approximate the visual experience, but the real thing — its weight, its luster under a raking light, the way it catches the corner of your eye — can only be experienced directly.
